Vacation in Vermont
by webdlfan
Summary: Still impacted by their first and last family vacation, the rest of the team finally pushes Danny and Lindsay into another vacation, this one just for the two of them. But what exactly are they walking into?
1. Chapter 1

_**Feeling a little rusty, but to write better you have to write period. I don't own anything, anyone, or any characters in this story. They are the exclusive properties of others, including CBS. Reviews are fun, and because I'm fairly human, they help push me to write more. That's not a threat, its just the truth. XD Enjoy.**_

_****__Dan_ny and Lindsay finally venture off for an extended vacation... to Vermont (if you couldn't tell by the inventive title) :p.

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Vacation in Vermont

It wasn't easy, as an employee of the New York crime lab on Mac Taylor's team, to schedule three days of vacation together, not to think about the five that they'd somehow managed. It was even harder to do so when you were married to another member of the team. Still, Lindsay had to give props to everyone for working it out, then slyly pushing them both to go.

It went back a couple of months to a murder of a couple who had worked their entire lives, saving for their vacation of "one day" only to be murdered in their sleep by some nut who was looking for jewels the woman never had. It effected everyone, but possibly both of the Messers the most. Soon after the case closed they'd started receiving emails of resorts, pamphlets tucked into their lockers and left on their desks, and people they didn't even know that well began to regale them of great vacation stories.

Going off to Coney Island for the weekend with Lucy apparently wasn't enough. They were supposed to be taking trips together, alone, and enjoying the life of young and married lovers.

It made Lindsay laugh. It wasn't that she didn't appreciate it. The truth was she had been wary about going on vacation since Shane Casey had stepped into the last one. Still, everyone had been so obviously pushy that eventually, they couldn't say no.

Working that week off into the schedule meant Danny worked a double and was barely off when Lindsay and Lucy arrived at the lab with the convertible. They met up with Danny's mother on the way out of town, so Danny could be there to say goodbye to Lucy, and then he'd dropped off to sleep leaving her to drive.

She didn't mind the peace and quiet of the drive. She'd chosen a route that took her along the old highways, preferring the scenic route to the flash and speed of the interstate. She'd missed the open road in Montana, but was grateful for the difference of a New York drive. There were still towns with single stop lights, farms and cattle that reminded her of home, but different in that the towns were far closer together. The further away she drove from NYC, the more the road changed, the trees grew thick, and the sky turned a rich blue.

Home. This was hers. Not the sky, but the drive with the man sound asleep in the passenger's seat; the daughter that played with grandma and grandpa and maybe Uncle Louie back in Staten Island.

She felt a pang. She should have brought Lucy with her. She would love to sit in the back with her daughter and point out the animals that grazed on the land. There were cows and horses aplenty, but there had also been goats, donkeys and sheep. Lucy would love it. Lindsay would even bet quite a bit that at his daughter's utter delight, Danny would join in making animal sounds with them.

Maybe next time Flack could come along for the drive, if Lucy was along. He and Danny could go off and pretend to be men in the wild and she and Lucy could play in the wild. It was the image of Danny and Flack though that made her laugh, and nearly made her make one of the donkey sounds from her childhood, and her own car trips, out loud.

"What are you snickering at, _Montana_?"

She nearly choked out the hee-haw of the donkey. "You're up."

"You were thinking too loud." He stretched slow, and adjusted his seat so he sat up. "How many times have you thought of Lucy?"

She shrugged sheepishly. "I haven't turned around yet."

"She's fine."

"I'll remind you _Messer_ when she's out on her first date," she cast a look toward him, pleased at the edge of horror in his eyes.

"She's not going to date." Even as she grinned at his easy response, she was aware of his sudden restlessness. He leaned forward and grabbed her bag, rummaging through it.

"Looking for something?"

"You got something to eat?"

Lindsay rolled her eyes. If this was his response to Lucy growing up, he was going to be in trouble when she hit puberty. She directed him to the snacks she'd packed, then leaned back to enjoy the drive.

It was so natural to be with him. They could talk and banter back and forth, but also enjoy the quiet. For awhile she went back to her road trip musings and memories. Maybe later she would tell him, but it wasn't something she needed to say.

"Are you sure about this place?"

"What?" she glanced at over to see him leafing through resorts brochure. "Danny, you helped me choose it."

"Yeah, but the only person in my family who has vacationed at a resort in Vermont is my aunt Eunice, and I'm not too fond of doing what my Aunt Eunice does."

"Is Eunice the one who carries the dentures of her late husband around with her in that special leather case?"

"That's Eunice."

"That's sweet," Lindsay defended even as she laughed, not surprised when she felt his finger poke her in the belly. "Even so, Danny, it's just Vermont. And you said you were going to beat me at archery competitions."

"It's the one with the vultures, isn't it. It's coming back to me now."

"Falcons, Danny. Falconry lessons."

"Falcons are scavengers. Remember that case where the body was left on the roof and picked a part by—"

"Vultures?"

"Vultures, Falcons. Same thing. They eat fresh meat."

"Vultures are exclusively scavengers. Falcons are a bit more. They're smart, able to be trained and used by humans in battle, all the way back to ancient days. They're hunters, fishers. Trusted, reliable. They don't kill people, Danny."

"You just called them hunters."

"I've hunted and I've yet to—" _kill a person_. But she had. The knowledge and grief hit her suddenly with a fresh wave of sickness. It wasn't so much the look in his eyes, surprise and emptiness, but the moment where she hadn't had a choice. There hadn't been a choice.

"Lindsay, pull over."

She shook herself. "I'm fine."

"Just pull over," he put a hand on hers and for a moment she was lost all over again. Her hand had tightened so much that it was white. His were dark, strong and a little rough, even for a city boy.

She smiled a little, but didn't argue.

When she'd pulled over several feet along the roadside and put the car in park, Danny undid his seat belt and leaned over the center console, and placed a hand on the seat on either side of her.

"Danny—"

"Have I told you today how beautiful you are?" he asked. "How lucky I am to have you as my wife?"

She could have told him _no_, and his doing so now had her squirming a little in her seat. "Danny. We—"

"Don't be nervous. It's just a vacation. Families have been experiencing road trips, traveling around together since the beginning of time."

"In a car."

"No, _wise ass_. Not in a car."

"But even so, we should probably get this car moving."

"In a minute," his gaze dropped first to her lips, so she was unsurprised when he took her lips in his and led her on a beautiful, wondering journey of a kiss that was slow and sweet, better for her than any kind of drug. When he leaned back, he smiled. "I'm in no hurry. Are you?"

"This isn't exactly the place to be making out with your wife?"

"Why not? What's the hurry?"

"We have to-"

"We don't have to nothin'. We're on vacation. A wise woman once said that you could do a lot of things in a car on vacation."

The laugh bubbled out of her. "I don't think I said that. Or implied that either."

"Did I say you were the wise woman?"

When she shoved him he moved easily and immediately reached for his seat belt. "All right wise slave driver. Let's get this vacation started. It has occurred to me a dozen or more times that we've never had that honeymoon ... though, frankly I refuse to believe I'm honeymooning with anyone in the wilds of Vermont."

There were a number of things she could show him, she was sure, that would make Vermont look very tame. Shaking her head, Lindsay shifted the gears out of park and got back on the road. She felt better, she realized, better about the vacation than she had since she'd agreed to go.

And she just might convince him that with what she had in mind, with no shifts or "on calls" to worry about, Vermont wasn't such a bad place for a honeymoon after all.


	2. Chapter 2

_**I had a little fun with this one and I hope you do too. Thank you so much for the reviews. It really does make it fun to write when there's a response. I don't own these characters though and only write for fun. Still we can wish for more D/L goodness in season 9. Enjoy a continuation of the Messer's Vacation in Vermont ... I'm still on track of where I'm supposed to be with my outline, but had a little more fun here than I'd figured... we'll see how that goes. Enjoy!**_

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Danny set the phone down as Lindsay came into the bedroom from the bath. He cast a glance at the rumpled sheets on the bed where he reclined still only half dressed. "Why did you let me come to the place my Ma recommended? She just asked if I was making use of the facilities in the same sentence as 'your Aunt raves about the place.' She wants to come here with my dad. What was I supposed to say? I don't think her idea of using the facilities was the same as ours."

Lindsay couldn't help but grin. Danny had been adamant about testing out the king sized bed the moment they'd stepped into the room. He'd claimed it was for science, and testing things out over the entirety of the first afternoon of vacation.

"We're married and have a three year old. I think she knows what we're doing up here, Danny."

"I doubt its what she meant."

Lindsay sat down on the edge of the bed and leaned in to kiss him. "Maybe. Maybe not. She does have two sons."

"Well then, I guess we should make my mama happy," he grabbed Lindsay around the waist and flipped over. Lindsay laughed as she landed on the other side of him, and only half heartedly dodged his active hands.

"Danny!" Lindsay squealed as he moved to attack her neck. "I just got dressed."

"So we'll get you undressed."

As his hands moved to do so, she batted him lightly with her hands. "Starving, remember? Starving. We have to eat and we can't afford room service every time we get hungry."

"Hmm," he muttered gruffly as he leaned back. She was well aware that if he wasn't starving as well, they would have been ordering room service much later. It had been his stomach growling after all that had him pushing her out of bed to get dressed again in the first place.

"All right, Messer. Faster you get moving, the faster we can make our way back here."

"Sure you don't want that room service?"

Lindsay only shook her head. She was sure they would make use of the ability to order in before the vacation was over, but it was an added expense, so they'd have to make it a really, really good reason to stay in.

~ny~

Their vacation romps had pushed them late, past the standard dinner rush. Standing outside the inn's dining area, Danny frowned at he dark room where the chairs were being stacked on top of table tops.

"Vermont," he muttered.

Lindsay laughed. "What?"

"Only in Vermont do you shut dinner down early."

"It's hardly early," she said, and tugged him around. "There's some place down in a separate building that has a cover band playing at night. There's bound to be food there. Food and entertainment. Not a bad deal."

"And what kind of cover band will we have to listen to?" Danny mused as he fell into step beside her. "A little Rascal Fats or Romeo-white horse kind of girl kind of music."

At the derision in his voice, Lindsay only smiled."The girl you married has a few backwoods rascle, romeo-white horse kind of girl roots, so you better be careful Messer, or you'll be listening to the sad country folk song telling your sad, sad story of your vacation blues."

He grinned down at her. "You've been rehearsing that one for awhile."

She shrugged. "It comes and goes. Besides this is Vermont, not Montana. I'm sure it's more of the classic swing, Big Band music that made this kind of place famous when it was built," she leaned a little closer to him as they exited the main building and followed the sign down toward the music hall. In the distance, she heard the cords of a little rock and roll anthem from her teenage years.

She could have reminded Danny that he had chosen this place based on the listing of classic rock selections the nightly cover band was known to play, or that he could join in on an afternoon jam session while she took falconry lessons, but it didn't seem fair. He'd spent less that ten minutes looking through the brochures before making his choice.

Besides, it was a beautiful night, and it wasn't often that she could look up into the night sky and see the stars. There were so many of them, and still nothing like it had been back in Montana. Nor was it often that she got to enjoy the unhurried walk with her husband. She loved the pace of New York, and the speed of her life, but that didn't mean she couldn't enjoy it just a little slow like this.

She wished, more than anything, she could slow things down with Lucy. Her little girl was growing up so fast.

"Kind of makes you miss Lucy, doesn't it?" Danny murmured, and Lindsay let his arm slide around her. "What do you think she's doing right now?"

Lindsay smiled as she pictured her daughter curled up in Danny's old twin bed, whispering secrets to the elder Messer's old black and white dog Charlie who she was known to sneak up into her bed.

Though really Lindsay had a feeling she just flashed those big brown eyes at her grandparents and simply asked.

"Considering your mother had bathed her and was putting her to bed when we talked to her, I hope asleep."

Danny chuckled. "Are you kidding me? She's got my parents wrapped around her little finger. She's probably up sitting on my Pop's knee, talking baseball and he's telling her how he'll let her watch the Late Show. Would he let me do that? Naw–little Danny had to go to bed."

"Well, when Lucy gets to be old like us, she'll tell her kids how her Pop wouldn't let Lucy watch the late show or date until she's 30 either, but her grandfather would."

Danny frowned. "I think he's on my side of the dating thing, though. He saw Louie in that arena."

"Just Louie?"

"Hey, I was playing ball."

Lindsay knew better, but talking about that leap of time with her daughter made her a little sad all over again knowing the was missing even these minutes.

She pushed it out of her mind. They reached the music hall in silence, the sounds of their own youth changing to something older, and a little darker. Danny reached out and pulled open the door, then grinned as he both took in the stage and recognized the song. "Now that's what I'm talking about."

The room was darkened and pulsing with colored lights choreographed with the music. The musicians on stage were probably the more modern versions of the 80s hair band, but they were still decked out in leather and t-shirts. The music pumped, a was loud enough that it probably covered a plethora of mistakes.

Holding loosely to Danny's hand Lindsay followed him through the surprising crowd. He headed toward the bar. The bar keeper finished serving up a beer, then made his way over to them.

"Made it in time for the show," he said. "What can I get you?"

"Got something to eat?"

"Sure. Cook's serving up a great house pizza tonight. And he's got the basic burger and salad for the fearful. But I'd go with the pizza. Find a table if you can and Sally'll serve you."

"Stay here," Danny said, and headed into the crowd.

"First night?" The bar tender asked.

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Middle of the week and you haven't found the pizza yet? You're a midweeker."

Lindsay looked toward the stage. "Is it like this every night?"

"Not so much. Tuesdays and Thursdays is a different sort of crowd. It's Big Band night and Jenson's nights off. That and Sunday. We close down on Sunday, so you'll want to make sure you eat early or you'll be stuck with room service. Not a bad set tonight though. He's managing."

At hiss tone, Lindsay lifted a brow and looked back at him. "Not a fan?"

"He plays well enough," he said and nodded back toward the stage. "And around enough. It's not the music that makes him the jerk that he is. He's a middle aged wack job who didn't realize he's past adulthood. His main girl is Sally. He got her a job here and she's pretty cool, but she doesn't get it. They met a dozen years ago."

"They're still together."

"You can say that. At least that's what he does when she's around."

Lindsay nodded, taking what he was not saying. He moved on down the bar and moments later Danny was back. They found an empty table, near the back and settled down. After the waitress took their order, Lindsay leaned toward Danny. "I think the bar keeper has a thing for the waitress."

"Is the Vermont air getting to you?"

Lindsay laughed. "I don't think he likes the main singer. His name is Jenson and he seems to think that Jenson's not being faithful to our girl, Sally."

"How long was I gone looking for a table? Remind me not to leave you alone again."

"I'm a detective and a trained CSI. I can read between the lines."

"Yeah well, if we had to bring our cell phones with us this time, you can leave the CSI at home. We're on vacation."

"Fine. You think your Aunt Eunice came to Vermont for this?"

"My uncle, yes. Aunt Eunice? No."

"That's the teeth?" Lindsay asked.

Danny grinned. "Yeah—he's the teeth."

~ny~

It was nice to sit back and simply enjoy the music. They didn't have to worry about missing a phone call from the sitter or work. They didn't have to worry about getting home by a certain time or part ways at the end of the evening, with one of the heading into work.

But it was also very familiar. Even before they were together, they'd made there way into dozens of New York spots to catch a small show. It was easier to find and enjoy each other, to relax, with a crowd this size. They didn't have to worry about expensive tickets that would go to waste when a crime wave hit the city, nor making sure they both had the evening off.

Danny took it serious, watching the style and skill of the players in the band. Often they were people he knew that had stories that went back awhile with him. Lindsay just enjoyed the show. She loved to watch even though she had picked up on the cues Danny had taught her to watch for. The better the musician, the better the evening for both of them.

"You mind if we grab a seat with you?"

They looked up at the couple who'd made their way through the crowd. The tall middle aged couple was dressed in worn denim and light sweaters. Brown hair, middle aged, in a few years that could be them—if they were different people.

"Sure."

"Busy," the man said, pushing her dark brown—and obviously color treated hair—back from his face. "We didn't think we'd ever find a place to sit. I'm Dennis Vinson, this is my wife Jenny."

"You guys must have just gotten here," Jenny said.

"This afternoon," Lindsay affirmed.

"From around here?"

"New York," Danny answered.

"Really? Like the City New York, or the state?" Jenny asked.

"You'll have to forgive Jenny," Dennis slid a hand over hers. "She's Florida born a raised. I'm guessing Staten Island, but you're a transplant," he told Lindsay.

"Very good," Lindsay said. "Looks like they brought their CSI with them, too."

"Yeah, but it's probably not their job," Danny returned. "So, you've been in Florida awhile now, I'd guess."

"The accent?" Dennis asked and Danny nodded. "Grew around Mayfair in the Bronx, but moved to Florida years ago thinking I'd be back in a few months. Stayed longer and longer until I met married Jenny. No reason to come back home now."

"Dennis used to come with his family here," Jenny leaned forward slightly. "He was feeling a little nostalgic. It's not often that happens, and not a harmful middle age crisis if he's going to have one."

"Its changed a lot though," Dennis said as he looked toward the stage. "And they weren't playing this kind of music here when I was coming with my family. Always has been a little lacking in talent though."

"Honey, there's probably a reason they're a cover band and not the real thing. Real thing wouldn't be here," Jenny looked at Lindsay. "He's really been taking a trip down memory lane this week, going back to his garage band days as if he should have been the world famous rocker instead."

Lindsay grinned at Danny. "I guess the best men have a rocker story some where inside of them."

Later that night, as Lindsay walked back to the main house with Danny she sighed. "I guess this is what it means to be an adult. Leave the children behind, meet and hang out with married couples—"

"In Vermont? I should hope being adults will consist of more fun activities," Danny slid a arm around her. "In fact, I'll show you as much when we get back to our room."

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_**What? No cliffie? Someone should take my temperature. ******__I_'m calling this chapter "It's still a vacation." That doesn't mean there's isn't more vacation to come, but apparently the D/L goodness we've been missing built up in me a little bit. Don't get too excited, though, this is only a T rating, and about as far as I'll ever go. And maybe this A/N is a cliffie in itself. They seem to miss Lucy a lot, so maybe they're headed home tomorrow. Or maybe there's some foreshadowing. But maybe there's not. It's just my summer vacation after all. Who wants to put a lot of thought into things. So, Laurzz ... does this help? 


	3. Chapter 3

_**Sorry about the delay. I was out at a training thing for the last week, and while I wrote a chunk of this in the hotel room the first night by hand, and started typing it up the next morning, the rest of the week was packed and my brain did nothing after class ended. Hopefully now I can pick up the pace, though oddly enough ... I completely changed what I thought was happening and rewrote the end of this. More on that later.**_

_**Thanks so very much for the reviews! I wanted to get this out as I won't have time in the morning, but I'll try to reply to anything in them as soon as I can. You guys rock.  
**_

**_I do not own these characters._  
**

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**Vacation in Vermont, Part 3  
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"And breakfast is served," Danny said as the platter of pancakes, bacon and eggs was settled between them. Across from him, Lindsay laughed as he loaded his own plate with food. "What?"

"You've been acting like they were never going to feed you."

"Hey, I'm just a simple guy from the city, Linds. I'm used to all night diners and pizza joints open 24 hours. Chinese at your beck and call. And a bodega that I can run down to if I'm out of what they need."

"Some people don't consider it a vacation if they have to cook."

"I didn't have to cook until—" At Lindsay's raised brow, Danny changed what he had been about to say. "You've been talking to my mother."

"You've always been a good cook. She just told me not to be fooled and that you knew your way around a kitchen."

"It was Louie's fault you know. She would cook and he would smart off about tis or that. Then one night I get home from baseball practice and she hands me a frying pan. Somehow, Louie knew better than to come home that night. And I don't think he ever really learned to cook."

"I like your brother, but I like you better anyway." She wrinkled her nose at him as she smiled.

"And you love my lasagne."

"I do love your lasagne."

"But you're not going to get it on our vacation."

"I bet we could find us a kitchen if we set our minds to it ... but it is a little odd," Lindsay sampled the eggs again. "For us anyway. We're not used to having to stick to a normal person's schedule."

For most sleeping in until ten was a luxury. Sleeping more than a handful of hours, in the same bed, was their luxury. Most of the time they were grateful for a few hours together between one late night shift for one and an early shift for the other. They were used to late brunches, fitting in a little time here and there when their schedules matched up.

"You're not going to convince me that this is normal," Danny waved his fork around the room.

No, the sprawling Vermont resort was something of a different time. The main house was extensive, with a winding, wrap around porch complemented with rocking chairs and checker boards. They were currently eating in the main dining hall in the main house, but there were two other places to grab food-on a schedule of course-other than the music hall.

Or maybe, Lindsay wondered, this was just what they needed to see-that there was something else, something more normal out there.

"I guess we're going to have to figure out how to do this once Lucy gets into school."

"Family vacation?"

"That," Lindsay said, "and regular hours, or more regular hours. Working around school hours is one thing, but her friends will be on something more ..."

"Normal?"

Lindsay's smile was a little sad. "Yea."

"How's the new play group."

"Well, you know Lucy. She's friendly with anyone."

"And her mother?"

Early on, it had been a challenge to open up to other mothers and to try and blend in with a group of mothers. In the end, she'd needed them. They were usually held when Danny was on shift. Now, when she'd asked Danny if he'd wanted to be involved, he'd said that sounded like taking Lucy to baseball practice. He'd do it when she was ready.

And if it was ballet ...

The thought made Lindsay grin. He'd do it, because it was Lucy.

Still, Mac was really good about scheduling them so that Danny wasn't always on the night shift now, and unless they needed her Lindsay was fairly locked into days. They'd made room for the vacation over a year ago, and this one.

"A year ago, I saw myself working up the ranks and one day being in Mac's position," Danny mused, "but I got on the track to do it, and all I could see was what I was missing with you and Lucy. Dreams change."

"To what though?"

"Does it matter?" Danny asked, scooping up a forkful of eggs. "I love you. I love lucy. I never thought that would be an issue when it was just me. I do like that we get to eat breakfast together. That we get this time. I want this, Linds. For you and me. For you, me and Lucy."

"I know."

"We'll figure it out."

It was a conversation they'd had before, but it never went futher than just recognizing that things were changing. One day Lindsay knew it would, and that made her both a little sad and a little excited. She could still remember the scary prospect of submitting her application to New York City-the idea of leaving Montana behind had been there for a long time, but doing it … that was a different story.

Doing it again this time wouldn't have been about leaving behind a old place, or about her escaping the past. She'd met her husband in the middle of friendship, faced tragedy, heartbreak, and loss, made friends, lost friends, built relationships, connections and dreams.

She'd given birth to her daughter, and watched that daughter be embraced by her New York family.

It wouldn't just be about leaving strings behind this time.

"Linds," she looked across the table and met his eyes, those blue eyes that understood so much. In one look he reminded her it wasn't time to make any decision or say goodbye. There were no offers, no opportunities they were looking into. _Not yet._

_Don't freak out_.

He knew her so well, as he'd known her for a long time.

She stabbed at her eggs. "I might be done with the falconry lesson in time for the jam session. I could join you."

"No way."

Lindsay paused in eating to stare at him. "Why not?"

"This is our vacation, remember? Your CSI's kicking in. You just want to investigate Jenson."

"No. No, I-observe. Observe, maybe, that's all." She shrugged. "but that's not why. I happen to find it quite sexy when you play the guitar."

Danny snorted and went back to his pancakes. "Not going to work, Montana."

Across the table, Lindsay leaned back and thought back to their early days, when she'd been half asleep watching him in the moonlight.

If he only knew.

~ny~

All and all, Falconry lessons in Vermont were probably held a lot differently than it would be in the wilds of Montana. Instead of learning, she was more of a spectator. Instead of finding it interesting, she found herself looking into the eyes of the bird and seeing the longing to be free...

Instead of the companionship of a dog that wanted to remain at your side, the bird was on the lookout for more.

To fly … she wondered. If you could soar as high up on your own power and go anywhere, would you ever be content to be on the ground?

As she stretched out pool side on the long lounge chair, she was still contemplating it. Oh, her brain was filled with dozens of facts about birds, Falconry, the middle ages and war, but she couldn't help but think about the bird in flight.

She was surprised, however, to see Danny headed her way not long after she settled down. "You're done early."

"Rod Jenson never showed up and he had to keys to the guitar."

"Oh, sorry," she smiled as she accepted his quick kiss of greeting.

"He apparently does it every once in awhile. There's you're gossip."

"I wasn't trying to-"

"Where's the blue one?" he interrupted her as he sat down on the edge of the lounge.

"The blue what?"

"Bikini."

She rolled her eyes at him, even as she smiled. She'd noticed he'd been looking over the simple black and pink tank and swim skirt. "In the room. Did you really want me to wear it sitting out here by the pool by myself?"

"'Guess not."

Lindsay looked around the pool area that was populated with what was more his mother and his Aunt Eunice's crowd. "I haven't seen more than a handful of non-working people our age all morning."

"They come in, keep to themselves, take guitar lessons. Added to that, last night's crowd came in from town, or was some of the staff winding down," Danny pulled over another lounge chair and settled in beside her. "What? We had time to talk while we waited. The guitars were locked up."

"Sounds like gossip to me."

"Small talk. And I wasn't digging for intel on Jenson."

"You got some though."

"He hasn't missed a practice in awhile, but he used to do it a lot. He's settled into this. Nothing earth shattering or suspicious. The guy's getting to old to party all the time." Danny settled in on the edge of the lounge chair and slid an arm around her. "You look like you survived."

"Kind of hard not to when they keep ten feet between you and the animals."

Danny grinned, reminded of Lucy by Lindsay's uncharacteristic pout. "You weren't allowed to touch."

"No kidding," but she shifted so that she could lean her head on his shoulder. "What's the point in lessons when you don't get to try it out?"

"Archery will be better," Danny promised.

"You just think you're going to beat me."

Danny snorted. "I think I can hold—"

The scream shattered the quiet.

Practiced, the two of them reacted. It has come from one of the pool side rooms on the second floor. They had no weapon, no backup, but the moved quickly faster than the rest, and were up the stairs at the suite.

On the floor was Sally, covered in blood. Her eyes—her dark eyes were open, staring up at nothing. Rod Jenson stood above her, blood on his hands, his eyes wide with shock and fear.

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**Funny think I realized as I was packing my suitcase... I had left my notes for this chapter on the table which ended with "someone screamed." Luckily I didn't write out the plan for the murder. XD**

**And it was Rod who was going to die, but it seemed a little too easy. Still, I might wish I had left it easy...  
**


	4. Chapter 4

**Wow. I've been so blocked (writing wise). Sorry about that! Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and reviewed the last time. Its so very appreciated and fun. I will try to get to your comments. I still have a little time before I can go to bed. :p I hope you enjoy...**

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Vacation in Vermont, 4

Rod knelt back down next to Sally's lifeless form. Her long, bottle blond hair fanned out, spattered in what was likely her own blood. His hands trembled over the knife. "She's..."

"Lindsay–" Danny put a hand to her back and motioned to Rod with his eyes. She nodded and moved to get Rod away from the body.

The older man moved with her, but his eyes stayed on Sally until they excited the room.

Lindsay's _CSI_, as Danny called it, switched on.

"What happened?"

"My assistant called. Woke me up and Sally wasn't there. She... she makes sure I get there and I just went to see. She was–"

Lindsay looked around and when she saw nothing else she led him over to the stairs to sit down.

Rod stared down at his rough, calloused hands. "I checked her pulse. I life gaurd. Have, in the past. I know how to ... but you can't. None of it ... there wasn't no pulse."

"No—" Even from where she'd stood, Lindsay had been able to tell that rigor had set in.

"She was there when we went to bed last night," he rubbed his hands over his face, as if doing so would wake him from this nightmare. "I feel ... I haven't felt like this in the long time. She's ..."

Lindsay rested a hand on his back and waited it out with him. There was nothing more she could do. This wasn't her crime scene, it wasn't her town. She nearly laughed. It wasn't one of two states that she had jurisdiction in.

Vacations sucked.

At least hers did.

~ny~

Outside on the archury field, Danny stood back behind Lindsay and watched as she painstakingly repeated the instructions as she pulled back on the bow, aimed the arrow, and let it fly. The fact that it totally missed the mark–again—was less about her inexperience and more about her mind.

She lowered the arrow and sighed.

Danny stepped forward and slid his arm around her. "Maybe we should just head inside. Enjoy a different kind of activity."

Lindsay smiled half heartedly. "Or we could just go home."

"Hey," he turned her so he could look directly into her eyes. "This is our vacation. We still have several days of peace and quiet to enjoy."

"Really? You're really enjoying yourself?"

"I was ... and I am." He wrapped his arms around her. "And why wouldn't I? I've got a beautiful wife, a sexy woman, all to myself. And I'm currently beating her in archery..."

At that, Lindsay grimaced. "We just got started, Messer."

As she stepped out of his arms to try again, Lindsay saw the determined stride of someone in the upper ranks of the small police unit. She hadn't been gone long enough from Montana to forget how it worked outside of the city. Plain clothes detectives were few and far between.

The brown uniform was pressed stiff, his receding hairline unhidden under the round cap. A bead of sweat lined his forehead over the wrinkles of age and a long line of duty.

A mixture of annoyance that their vacation continued to be plagued by the murder combined with the respect that had been bred into her soul from the time she'd first witnessed murder.

"You Danny Messer?" He asked, then looked toward her. "And Lindsay Messer?"

"That's us?"

'Would you mind going into town to the station with us? We have some questions from this afternoon."

"Is there any way this could be done here?" Danny asked. "We're on vacation."

"So are most of the people here, Mr. Messer. We've promised the resort that we'd keep out of their hair as much as possible, and the people from the state are coming in to oversee the investigation, so they will be meeting us there."

"Still," Lindsay piped in taking note of his badge, "we're well aware of the constraints of police work, chief. I'm sure there's a place that can accommodate us around here somewhere. There's no reason to waste the gas or your time in taking us to and bringing us back from the station."

"I know a dining room that closes down in the middle of the afternoon."

Lindsay held back the snicker at Danny's forlorn suggestion. She didn't think the small town chief of police would appreciate it. Not at all.

"It's more a matter of privacy. I think you understand."

It was a power play, but arguing with them over what was a simple interview would only delay getting back to what should have been a vacation. They were the cops from the city, so they would need to be put in their place.

"Come on, Danny," she said, returning her arrow and bow to the instructor who had stepped over. "We might as well get this over with."

~ny~

Lindsay was surprised to find that the small town police station had its own interogation room. She sat at the table beside Danny and stared into the mirror across from them and tried not to roll her eyes or dramtically sigh.

"It's been a long time since we've been in the interogation room together."

Danny looked at her with a grin. "Been awhile since you've been a Bonnie to my Clyde."

She slugged him even as she laughed. "Not exactly what you should be saying in here?"

"Why," he wondered, and leaned in, closing in on her neck. "The only things we've done since leaving New York would be illegal only to your parents."

She was laughing as she pushed him back, and she didn't think it was a mistake that the locals chose that moment to make their entrance.

The chief walked in and dropped a folder on the table. She resisted the urge to look at Danny, but failed as she caught his look in the mirror. It was so standard to something they would do, she couldn't help but smile. It seemed a little pompous on this side.

But maybe that was because there was no reason to presume guilt.

"First trip to Vermont?"

"Sure. And first time in a Vermont interrogation room."

Lindsay heard the edge in his voice and grabbed his hand under the table. Like her, he was too aware of this game.

"Seem to be having a good time," the chief continued.

"Trying to leave our job at home," Danny countered.

"We're checking into that," the chief returned as he leaned against the table, carefully, as it shifted a little at his weight. "But I am a little concerned and so were people at the resort. You see, you don't act like people who just witnessed a murder."

"We didn't witness a murder—"

Lindsay set a hand on Danny's arm and met the eyes of the chief. "We walked in on a crime scene and secured it, without comprising anything."

"That is what you say. What I say is that you, Mrs. Messer, had a particular interest in the deceased last night, you both responded and moved in, but I'm still perplexed by the fact that you saw the same body that I saw and you can walk away and continue with your life as if nothing happened."

_Nothing_. The images flashed, fast and furious, of walking out of the bathroom at the diner and standing over her friends.

Of Shane Casey, death in his eyes as he slid slowly to the floor.

It knocked the breath out of her, and this time it was nearly she who shoved out of her chair and launched herself at the man—trained investigator or not.

This time, it was Danny who steadied her.

"You'll have to take our word for it," Danny's voice was steady and quietly firm. "Both of ours. We've seen the victims, we've seen the survivors, we've seen the murders and we seen them every day of our lives, not just in the field, but in our minds, running like a film reel, over and over. You have to compartmentalize, you have to live your life. You have to laugh."

The man shook his head. "I just saw what you saw. And I'll never forget it. I guess that's the difference between us."

"You don't know anything about us," Lindsay told him. "But you should start finding out. We gave you the number when you asked. Mac Taylor, New York crime lab."

Picking up his file, the chief leaned in. "Funny thing is, Mrs Messer, we did call the New York crime lab. And they don't know either one of you."

"You charging us, _Chief_?" Danny asked.

"No, but I'm holding you until I get some answers. I've got 24 hours."

He waved at the window and the door opened. The deputies entered with handcuffs ready.

Lindsay looked at Danny. "I think its time we made our own phone call."

"Sure," the chief said, as the hand cuffs slid around her wrists. "We'll get to that."

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_**Oh snap! Now, who thought our heroes would end up in jail in Vermont ... what a vacation!**_


	5. Chapter 5

**I need to stop thinking that I have the story in my head, because as I recently discussed with someone ... that doesn't mean it goes on paper. Do you know one of the hardest things to write is someone entering a room? Someone once told me... don't get stuck in the door. Sometimes you just have to skip the door. And, doors and ... well, cell doors became big issues. :p**

**Thank you so much for the reviews. It helps, really helps. Life is going to get busy, but maybe I'll start avoiding life and write instead. Sometimes that works! Enjoy!  
**

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**Part 5:  
**

Locked in a jail cell on vacation, Lindsay studied her surroundings while at the same time wondering how a country singer would phase their misfortune into a song. There were two cells in the small jail house, side by side, sharing one lone "wall" of bars. Up above was a single bright florescent light that left the edges of the room that surrounded the cells in shadows and crowded with storage. Each cell had a sign made decades ago, evidenced by the splintered edges and hand carved lettering. One read "Men" and the other "Women." Still, they hadn't allowed them, married or not, the share the same holding cell.

The concrete floor was at least clean. There was no toilet in either cell, though they had been informed that they would be allowed scheduled bathroom breaks by the apologetic deputy with a badge that read Bernie. He hadn't even bothered to cuff them after his chief left the room. They'd simply followed him as he apologized for the inconvenience.

_Chief's got a lot of pressure on him right now. He's just trying to hold things together until the state gets here._

"_Did he really call the number we gave him for the NYPD crime lab?" Lindsay had asked as she watched the deputy lock Danny behind bars with an ancient set of oversized keys._

"_He has a thing about city folk..." the deputy hedged. "So he said he would follow proper channels. I believe you, I mean from what everyone said you seemed to know what you were doing. And let me tell you, I've never seen anything like that before. Never seen someone able to handle it, but I guess I've had no chance too. But I guess he's right. You could have given him any number. And I guess if you know how to analyze a crime scene, you'd know how to manipulate one too. Its just a complicated situation. We're really not set up for this kind of thing here."_

Once locked inside separate cells and left alone, Danny and Lindsay both pushed a narrow cot in either cell up against shared row of bars and sat on them, side by side, and simply waited.

"Flack's going to get a kick out of this."

Lindsay smiled a little at the automatic direction of his thoughts. "Hopefully one day we will too. At least now we have solid evidence that we don't need to be pushed on any more out of town vacations."

"I don't know. Wasn't one of Jo's arguments for a vacation that you have to get away from your normal and do things out of the normal so you could appreciate the normal?"

"So we're outside of our normal because we're on the inside of a jail cell?" Lindsay asked.

"Yeah," he sighed at his own logic. "Though my mama always was proud of the fact that I had never been in a jail cell. That was Louie's thing."

"Oh, come on, Danny," she waved a hand to showcase their room. "I don't think this really counts as that kind of jail. Besides, we're innocent. The only proof the sheriff claims he has was that he doesn't trust us for securing a crime scene. And once the state gets here, they'll get in touch with the lab and this will all get cleared up."

Danny grinned. "And we'll be back to our nice and quiet out of town vacation, so I guess it doesn't mean the vacation is a disaster."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "You tricked me."

"I personally plan on taking many vacations with you, Mrs. Messer." Shaking her head, she couldn't help but return his grin. "Its kind of nice, isn't it? We can just sit back, relax. We don't have to solve this case."

"I hope. As we're the one's behind bars ..." but she was still smiling as she said it. "It would make a good lifetime movie, wouldn't it? Crime scene investigators, bored with their lives in New York decide to go to the city and create the perfect murder. Except it wasn't perfect, and we would know that."

"Sure, and it's not your M.O. If I recall. You had it all planned out. How you'd get away with it."

Lindsay shook her head, well aware they shouldn't be having such a conversation, under the circumstances. "And I stand by my statement."

She reached through the bars and watched as he took her hand, wrapping his fingers through hers.

"Who do you think would play us? In this Lifetime movie of yours?" As an idea hit him he lift a hand and snapped his fingers. "Who's the girl who Ms. Brobinski swears could be your sister?"

"If I _had _a sister," Lindsay reminded him. "Joy Galeotti from One Tree Hill? Hmm. We need something more New York for you. How about ... Ray Ramano?"

"Hey–not even close, _Montana_. Not only are you just being mean, Ramano is from Queens," he pulled his hand from hers. "I was being nice."

"No. You've never seen Joy Galeotti. You were just being easy."

"Get rid of these bars and I'll show you what it means to be easy."

Lindsay wrinkled her nose at him even as she laughed. "I think that moves us from Lifetime movie to the back room of a bodega in the adult section."

"Someone's got a dirty mind."

"Yeah, someone does. And if we're going to plan a movie, why stop at Lifetime or ... cheap?" she asked, then lifted a brow as a thought occurred to her. "Who do you think would play Mac?"

Danny snorted. "No. No way. Whatever I say will get back to him. Or to Flack. I'd never hear the end of it."

The banter continued. For a moment they lost sight of where they were. They forgot about the jail cell and the bars between them—at least to anyone who would have been watching. If there had been no bars, and if they had truly been alone, it would have led to much, much more.

When the door opened, the room fell quiet. Lindsay watched as Bernie came in, followed by a stout balding man in khakis and polo with official state insignia. Lips pressed together, he looked at Danny.

"Sorry about the confusion Detective Messer—" his gaze shifted toward Lindsay as Bernie stepped forward and unlocked the doors, "and Detective Messer. I'm Bill Burkett of the Vermont State Police. Please accept my appologies. Not often, I suppose, a pair of vacationers show up who are so comfortable at a crime scene. You understand, I hope, that the good people of Montmarte County have limited resources and were just trying to contain a situation until my team arrived."

"We just want to get back to our vacation," Danny told him as he stepped next to Lindsay and slid an arm around her.

"Sure. Sure. I understand. We need to get your statement before you head back, if that's all right?"

"We wrote it out already and gave it to the sheriff."

"Right," the look on his face told them that the sheriff had done little to actually take their statement.

"Lets just get this over with," Lindsay told him. She glanced at Danny. It wasn't like they hadn't inconvenienced thousands of people over the years.

~ny~

"Only you and Messer could go on vacation and get arrested," Flack started as soon as Lindsay stepped out on the balcony and answered Danny's cell phone. From the sound of it, he was on speaker phone.

She rolled her eyes. People at the lab were surely having a laugh at their circumstance, of course so would she. Eventually.

They'd been back from the station for only a few hours, but had used most of that time to rest in the comfort of their room.

She frowned a little as she stared across the beautiful landscape of their resort. She was prone to want to hide from those probing, gossiping minds of people on vacation who had nothing else to do. She didn't really want to deal with anyone of her fellow vacationers right now.

"We weren't arrested. Just detained." She curled a hand around the railing and decided to draw out whomever else was listening in via the speaker. "And we wouldn't have been detained if a normal person could have understood that two people, who are married and CSIs would be able to take off time for a vacation together."

"I think she's trying to pin the blame on us," Hawkes piped in with mock surprise. "You can't do that, Linds. You know what Jo said. It's not normal for people not to have a vacation."

"She was saying that to Mac, I believe," she turned around as the french door opened, and Danny stepped out in nothing but a pair of jeans, his hair still mused from her fingers.

"I'm pretty sure its relevant in your situation as well." Hawkes argued as she pushed the button for speaker.

"So you figure out who done it?" Flack asked.

"We're on vacation," Danny reminded them, sliding in close to Lindsay to gnaw a little at her neck. "CSI's off."

"Come on, Danno. You got to show New York proud."

"I think I am—"

"_We're_ trying out normal," Lindsay interrupted his wayward comment as she leaned against Danny and smiled up at him.

"Oh, come on. You've got to do something."

"Oh trust me," Danny said as he took the phone from Lindsay, "we're doing plenty. Go back to work."

Lindsay punched him as he hung up, but, proud of his indiscretion, he distracted her from her ire fairly _easily_.

Back at the lab, Flack pocketed his phone as Hawkes shook his head a little uneasy.

"What?"

"If a couple months from now, Lindsay gets a little weepy or has those cravings ... you're not allowed to retreat solely to your station and avoid the lab like you did last time."

"Who said I was avoiding the lab?"

But Flack knew, because Jessica had given him a hard time of it in private, so he knew she had done the same in public. And while it made him a little sad to think of Jessica and how excited she'd been for Danny and Lindsay at the time, he couldn't help but hope there was another baby in the future. Jess would have wanted that for them.

~ny~

Lindsay refused room service. This time it was less of her practical, penny pinching and more of her refusal to stay cooped up and hidden.

More than speculation now, people were more interested in information.

_Did they tell you anything?_

_Do you know what happened?_

But it was Hilda and her husband Ronnie that settled down at their table—without, Lindsay noted—so much as asking.

"We heard that you two were detained at the police station. I'm glad to see that you made it back."

She looked at her husband.

Lindsay wondered if her fellow guest was glad, truly. If they weren't detained, then that meant the murderer was still at large.

And as no one was allowed to check out and leave the resort, it meant that the murderer could likely still be on the premises.

"Do they have any suspects?_"_

"Besides us?" Lindsay had quipped. "I'm sure they're getting around to it. Anyone could be a suspect."

Hilda scoffed and waved a well manicured hand covered in rings with large, likely real, rocks. "Well its not like it was you two. I told Ronnie, didn't I sweetheart? That it wasn't you two. There was no way. Such a sweet young couple. Do you have any kids?"

It was a set up, Lindsay realized, as Hilda used the opening to pull out her cell to show off her own kids. And grand kids. Lindsay lost count around the sixth or seventh, but she was pretty sure Danny's eyes glazed over around the second. He and Ronnie turned their attention to sports, particularly football, leaving Lindsay to only wish she could be in on their conversation.

Eventually, their waitress came and Ronnie managed to convince Hilda to move on. They had signed up for Canasta.

Danny groaned as he leaned back in his chair. "Remind me, for our next vacation lets just find an out of the way place, away from people, where it's quiet..."

Lindsay lifted a brow, thinking of all the times she'd teased him about finding a cabin in the backwoods of Montana ... several of which she knew about because they were crime scenes she worked.

"Never mind," he hedged. "Forget I said anything."

"You wanted to go to Costa Rica and do the whole jungle thing there," she reminded him. "I can't figure out what the difference is between one and the other."

"Costa Rica is there," Danny set a hand down on one side of the table, the reached out and placed his other hand on the far side. "Montana is here. Close to your dad. Close to two of your three brothers. All of whom have shot guns and hunt on a regular basis. You even said. It could be months before someone discovered a body, and if you know, and your dad knows you, then he knows."

Lindsay only shook her head at his twisted logic. He was a lot braver when he talked of her dad before they had Lucy.

"You never did make it to Costa Rica."

The look he gave her wasn't one of missed opportunities though. It was soft, and more than a little sentimental. "No," he reached out and took her hand. "Better things came up."

How strange was it, Lindsay thought later, that she felt safe when working multiple cases, in a city where she'd seen the effects of murder and all the details in between, but here in the country ... away from home and her job, she was well aware of a murder unsolved.

And the murderer that was still at large.

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**Since it felt like a good place to stop, I felt it necessary to remind you that it's not so good in the woods of Vermont right now... At least in this story. :p  
**

**BTW, I had originally meant for Adam to have accidentally "covered" for them by saying they didn't work there just in case a prosecutor needed them while they were on vacation ... but it doesn't work. Nor did it want to come our of Flack's mouth. Besides, maybe the sheriff is right.**


End file.
